20120411

Makor Rishon, a right-wing newspaper which is mostly available online outside Judea and Samaria, is running a war games scenario in Thursday's editions. They have some pretty impressive participants. The premise is that the attack will take place on October 15-16, and that Obama will protest and then go silent. The scenarios include an attack downing an Israeli civilian jet liner, Israel deciding not to attack Lebanon or Gaza, despite being bombarded with missiles by Hezbullah, but the nuclear facilities are... well, all I can tell you is that there are pictures of them burning on CNN.Let's go to the videotape, which is - unfortunately for many of you - mostly in Hebrew.

20120410

A delayed court approval limited the ability of Pastor Terry Jones' Stand Up for America organization to organize more than about 2 dozen supporters, but Jones did manage a rally before America's largest mosque on April 7th. By Any Means Necessary mustered a larger opposition, though better kept a distance apart by volunteering policemen than at Jones last Dearborn appearance in June.

Pastor Jones announced his intentions to burn a Quran if Iran doesn’t release an imprisoned pastor sentenced to death sentence after converting from Islam to Christianity. (World Net Daily)

Jones said in a radio interview that Iran has until April 28 to release Youcef Nadarkhani, currently facing death for preaching Christianity in Iran.

20120405

Conventional wisdom dictates that were Israel to attack Iranian nuclear weapons facilities, Iran would mine the Sea of Hormouz to interfere with Gulf oil passage, thereby temporarily (until the US clears the sea mines) increasing the price of oil. The ripple-effect would increase prices across the world, and slow the economy during the time leading up to the US presidential election.

Israel feels that the US has stalled striking Iran (or blocking Israel) for too long and Iran is now "5 minutes to midnight" close to nuclear weaponizing- and waiting 'til after November would be disastrous. Obama tells Netanyahu that if Israel waits 'til after the election, if he wins, he will stop blocking them and back them in the aftermath. But should Netanyahu trust Obama, who has arguable the worst administration regarding Israel in memory? Iran would surely like Obama (whom they perceive as weak) to win another term, because they doubt his mettle to strike directly or support Israel if it does. And if the apocalyptic ayatollah regime manages to develop nuclear weapons within the next 7 months, it will be too late for Israel. The regime is known to be so messianic that they are willing to endure an Israeli counterstrike- if it would mean eradicating Jewish control over the Holy Land. But Obama will not act, nor permit Israel to act to avert this potential nuclear armageddon against Israel (and perhaps the US) to ensure his re-election.Iran Lists War Aims Against IsraelMichael Rubin in Commentary 04.01.2012

"In his Alef (Magazine) article, Ali Reza Forqani, an ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader, goes further. After justifying a war against Israel, Ali Reza Forqani delves into how Iran should conduct its war. Lest anyone misread Iran’s intent, in a section subtitled “People of Israel must be Annihilated,” Forqani outlines how to conduct genocide:

The residents of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa can be targeted even by Shahab-3 missiles. These three areas which are located very close to each other are very densely populated and the population there accounts for about 60 percent of Israel’s entire population. Therefore, it is possible to use Sajjil missiles to target the infrastructures in this area including power plants, fuel and energy installations, water and sewage treatment facilities, transportation and communication infrastructures; and in the next stage Shahab-3, Ghadr and Ashura missiles can be used to target and strike residential areas in the cities until the final annihilation of the people of Israel.

He then outlines Iran’s missile capability, explaining how Iran could best exploit each missile in its arsenal and bragging that used properly, “Iran Could Destroy Israel in Less Than Nine Minutes.” That the Iranians might soon be able to fit the Sajjil with nuclear warheads should only heighten concern.

Iran may be lots of things; deterrable does not appear to be one of them."

Is Israel a strategic asset or liability to the West? Middle-east analyst, Mark Langfan demonstrates what steps would follow a potential conquest of Israel by Islamist forces, either through ceding the West Bank for an Iranian sought state of Palestine, or through an Iranian axis (Syria, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hamas, and potentially Egypt) missile and land war.

Mr. Langfan shows that by Israel, by militarily restricting Islamist Iran and her allies, and (potentially Islamist) Egypt from laying siege to the coveted Saudi and Gulf oil fields, Israel is the lynchpin which maintains Middle East stability. Iran's true motivation behind its "World without Zionism" crusade may not be "Palestinian nationalism" but to gain control of more of the world's petroleum resources. An Iranian/Egyptian war against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, would draw the involvement of the US to defend Saudi Arabia against Russia and China, allied with Iran. Iran has already warned of its intention to strike inside the US homeland, with its allied bases in Latin America and sleeper Hezbollah cells marbled thoughout North America.

This World War could catapult the price of petroleum to the $500-$1,000 per barrel range, thrusting world's economy into a global depression. It is therefore in the world's best interest, Mr. Langfan shows, to support Israel against Iran in maintaining Middle-Eastern political and global economic stability

WASHINGTON — Israel has been alarmed by what officials determined were leaks by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama of purported Israeli preparations to attack Iran.

A leading U.S. analyst who returned from talks with the Israeli leadership reported that the Obama administration was accused of staging a campaign to undermine Israel. The analyst, Robert Satloff, said Washington was also blaming Israel for the rise in global crude oil prices, deemed as harming the U.S. economy.

“I cannot underscore how deep and visceral the [Israeli] comments of the leaking that came out of Washington were,” Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.
In late March, several reports were published by leading American newspapers and journals [including Foreign Policy: Israel-Azerbaijan ties could expedite Iran strike] that questioned Israel’s military capability.